Aerobic Oxidation of Amines to Nitriles Catalysed by Ruthenium on Alumina

Ru/Al₂O₃ is a useful catalyst for the oxidation of alcohols (Yanagushi K et al, Angew Chem Int Ed, 2002, 41, 4538) and the group of Mizuno in Tokyo has continued to explore the use of the catalyst.  A recent communication (Angew Chem Int Ed, 2003, 42, 1480) reports on the facile oxidation of amines to nitriles or imines.

Kinetic studies indicate a zero-order dependence on oxygen pressure and on amine concentration and a first order relationship with the amount of catalyst.  Deuteration studies gave the result below.